Little Sister
by Kallias Grimm
Summary: Tremor Brothers the early years. The young brothers return home after a failed job and find out the hard way that what they left behind can no longer be called their home. Includes an introduction of another Tremor. Rated for language & violence later on
1. Chapter 1

**Note & Disclaimer: I started this story in 2007 and pretty much abandoned it once I'd written the first 2 chapters (only 1 of which I actually uploaded). But I decided to give this story another go and rewrote the first 2 chapters. Heres the first one, hopefully written in a much better layout :)**

**The timeline for this story is a little vague because I don't really know what the age difference between the three brothers are, so I just made me own, which some of you may find way off but there we go. This story is set years before the hit on Israel, and is about two years after they left home and went out to make a name for themselves. So basically, Harper is about 9, Jeeves is 18, Lester is 19 and Darwin is about 21. Because of they've only really just started out, they haven't started to get the big hits yet.  
**

**I don't own the Tremor Brothers, but I do own Harper & Mama Tremor**

---

The last job had been a failure. They had been sent after a businessman and were all set to kill whoever was in their way. They were trying to make a name for themselves in the world, and the kamakaze style assassinations seemed like a good niche to help get the word out about them. Unfortunately, the young brothers were not the only ones out there trying to get that bounty and they were beaten to it. Not only had they come out of the situation pennilness, exhausted and in the middle of nowhere, they'd lost a lot of face.

"Can we stop soon or else I swear my eyes are gonna fall out..." He grumbled, trying focus on the almost pitch black road.  
"We gonna stop Jeeves, quit your complain' already... Not my fault there's no damn stops out here…" Groaned his eldest brother as he leant forward and poked his head between the two front seats.  
"I know but I'm so tired…" He moaned as he tried to spot a road sign for a motel before they sped past it in a haze.  
"Would you stop complain' already?! I'm tryin' to sleep!" Shouted the middle brother who was curled up uncomfortably in the front seat.

Darwin swiftly slapped his bald head hard. "Shut your face, Lester. You ain't drivin' are yah? It ain't gonna affect you, you lazy ass..."  
"It does affect me cause I gotta listen to that arse hole complain the entire time! I'm tryin' to sleep!"

The two oldest brothers were about to break into a full blown argument when Jeeves swerved the car sharply off the road and after a slight detour through the dirt, parked in a lay by.  
"What you doin' Jeeves?! You tryin' to kill us with yah dumb ass drivin'?" Darwin snapped as the youngest Tremor switched off the engine and let his head lull back onto the head rest with a loud sigh.  
"I wanna go to sleep, Darwin…" He said with a mutter, before passing out seconds later. Lester shoved his baby brother hard in the shoulder only to receive another slap, this time from the sleeping Jeeves. Lester swore under his breath and he went to hit his brother again but Darwin stopped him, frustration on his face.  
"Stop. Just let him sleep…" Darwin groaned, falling heavily back into the back seat. Lester grunted something under his breath but he did as he was told and went back to his former position and fell asleep again almost instantly. Darwin drifted off not long after.

A full volume blast of the local radio station jolted through the car and those few seconds of defeaning noise were enough to wake Darwin and Lester, both of which let out confused and scared yells as they practically jumped off their seats. Before their eyes were even fully open, the familiar sound of their brother echoed through the car.

"I wanna go home."

After some grumbling, shuffling and cussing, Darwin finally replied.  
"What do you mean? We ain't got no home! We'll try and find a motel tonight all right?"  
"No, I mean home home… I wanna go back to the swamp."

Lester scoffed loudly as he shuffled around in his seat, trying to sort out his clothes had had become twisted in the night. After he had sorted himself out he looked at his brother and tried very hard to resist the urge to slap some sense into him when he saw nothing but complete seriousness on Jeeves face.  
"What are you talkin' about? Why would we wanna do a stupid thing like that?"  
"I was there in my dream last night and now I wanna go home." He said, a familiar tone of determination in his voice that Darwin dreaded. Once this boy had his heart set on something, there was no way he'd change his mind.  
"Don't be stupid! We ain't goin' back there!" Lester argued, repulsed by the idea of going back to the swamp.

Neither Darwin or Lester had happy memories from back home. They both hated their mother with a passion and when they left as teenagers they thought that would be the last they ever saw of them. Less than a year into their freedom they realised that with Jeeves with them, that was never going to happen.

Jeeves glared at his bald brother, his teeth bared. Darwin rolled his eyes and held his grubby hands over his ears, knowing what was coming next.  
"I WANNA GO HOME!" Jeeves roared, his fists clenched. Lester didn't let his brothers bellowing phase him - he wasn't going to let Jeeves get his way this time, not again.  
"There ain't no way! We ain't goin back there!" Lester shouted, his chin sticking out in definance.  
"I'm drivin' so I decide where we go anyhow!" Jeeves replied, a smug look on his face.  
"I'll just steal your fuckin keys when you gotta go change yah tampon you fucking girl!" Lester jeered, knowing it was oh so easy to wind up his younger brother.

With a loud snarl, Jeeves moved sharply towards his brother with clenched fists, ready to fight this out.  
"Stop now!" Darwin ordered, leaning through the car seats to break up the fight that always seemed to follow these two like a bad smell.

For as long as he could remember Lester had been winding up Jeeves. All three of them liked a good fight but for some reason Lester always wanted to get a reaction out of his younger brother. Maybe it was because he liked it when he managed to beat the big man (which didn't happen often, espicially not now they were older) or maybe he just liked being yelled at, Darwin just didn't know.

"Thats enough of that, we don't need no broken bones this early in the mornin'!"  
Jeeves and Lester fell back into their seats, once again following the orders of the eldest Tremor.

Their heirarchy was something that had happened naturally by the time Jeeves was born. When Lester was born Darwin had worked very hard to make sure that Lester only listened to him and made absolutely certain that Lester did the exact opposite of what their mother said. When Jeeves came along he had no choice but to conform to the dominance of his two older brothers.

"Now, I gotta go take a piss," Darwin stated, "so I'd better not be hearin no ruckus when I'm outside, understand?" There was a pause and an exchanges of glares before Jeeves and Lester nodded quickly. Rolling his eyes, Darwin exited the vehicle.

A few moments later he got back into the car and Jeeves' automatically started the engine.  
"Why we always gotta do what Jeeves wants?" Lester asked as they pulled out of the lay by and shot down the now rather busy road.  
"Cause you don't nag half as bad as that asshole when you don't get yah way..." Darwin responded vaguely, trying to block out his bickering brothers.

Turning in his seat to look at Darwin, Lester cried, "I gotta nag now? Act like a fuckin little school girl to get my way for once?!"  
"I ain't no fuckin girl!" Jeeves bellowed from the drivers seat. Before yet another argument could erupt, Darwin took a deep breath and shouted even louder than Jeeves.  
"I SAID STOP THIS SHIT RIGHT NOW!"

Both the younger men did as they were told and the car fell silent.  
"Now Lester, you listen to me," Darwin said, pratically snarling, and Lester nervously met his big brothers gaze. Lester and Jeeves hated when Darwin got mad - it was something they both agreed on whole heartedly.

"We're goin to swamp for a few nights cause we're close to it now and if we don't," Jeeves received a light shove in the side of the head, "I don't wanna be stuck in this fuckin' car with this dummy complain' about it for the next month and a half, all right?!"  
"All right all right I heard yah..." Lester replied, returning to his seat and staring out of the front window.  
"Well all right then." He lent back into his seat and stretched across the three back seats. "Lets just try and get to ten o'clock before the next argument, right?"  
"Okay.." Jeeves murmured.

Fully focusing on the road he drove closely to the back of a Land Rover filled with cheerful kids and camping gear. He narrowed his eyes, revved the engine and raced around them. Horns blared loudly as Jeeves pressed down on the accelerator, quickly turned the car and over taking the Land Rover before an on coming car smashed right into them.

Lester, who was gripping hold of anything sturdy he could find, watched in terror as his baby brother once again showed how little he knew about the highway code.

"I swear Jeeves you are the worst driver out there.." Lester groaned, his head in his palms as Darwin just sniggered from the backseat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note & Disclaimer: So, its been over a year and I've finally decided to continue this story after being inspired by the news of the Smokin' Aces prequel :) Hopefully my writing has improved a little, or at the least the layout of my writing :P**

**I don't own the Tremor Brothers, but I do own Harper Tremor & Mama Tremor. **

---

Two and a half hours past until they finally reached the border of the little town they grew up in and as they drove in all three of them pulled a face that showed that they may have made a big mistake. It was a regular rural town, the kind where everyone knows everybody else, with a small high street and lots of marshes and swamps.

Jeeves found it rather frustrating that he actually had to slow down whilst driving through the town, there were so many damn kids running all over the place! He blazed the horn as loud as he could when a couple of grubby children skidded out right infront of the car, caught up in their game of tig.

"Hey! Watch it yah little shits!" Darwin shouted out of the window, causing both of them to stick their middle fingers up and screamed "bite me!" at him. He snarled and started to pull himself out of the window of the moving car, cussing at them and they both quickly ran off.

"Fuckin' kids..." He grumbled, spitting out the window to show his disgust. "This place is a shit hole Jeeves... why'd you bring us here?"

"Cause I just missed it thats all! You honestly tellin me you didn't neither?"

"You best fuckin know I didn't! Just look at this place..." Lester spoke up, glaring darkly at all the passers by, who looked rather confused at what they had done.

"It ain't that bad..." Jeeves muttered, turning off from the main drag and down a lane towards their old house, shaking in his seat from the unstable road. The two other Tremors were bouncing out of their seats as well and neither of them had to say anything, their expressions said it all.

"In all seriousness..." Darwin spoke up, trying to keep his voice steady from the jolts. "What are we gonna tell Ma when we just show up on the door? She ain't exactly gonna be happy to see us three now is she?"

"She might.. 'Sides, Harper will be happy to see us.." Jeeves replied, unable to stop the grin spreading across his face. Lester smirked and prodded his brother in the arm. "Oh thats right, Harper, Jeeve's only friend, a fuckin' little girl.."

"Shut up!" Jeeves snapped as the road finally seemed to smooth out.

As soon as they past the first grotty sign that said "trespassers will be shot" they all looked forward, their home just infront of them.

The house was pratically derelict, and it had a wonky roof and junk all over the porch, some of which was falling into the swamp water, soon to be lost forever. It was built on a small island in the middle of the bog, with a little wooden foot bridge leading to the small front porch, and out back was a little fishing deck. Jeeves parked the car on the small dusty patch infront of the house, just beside the swamp and all three of them climbed out, their hands in their pockets as they leered up the house.

"Its worse than I remember it..." Darwin muttered and Lester nodded in agreement, but Jeeves seemed to be quite content with the look of the house.

"Looks the same to me." Jeeves replied, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

Darwin tutted loudly and stomped across the wooden foot bridge. "Come on then..." He said, pulling open the front door and then rapping his knuckles loudly on the screen door, his brothers following not far behind him. After third round of knocking on the door, it was finally opened and all three were greeted by their mother.

She was a small, skinny woman, with a narrow, bitter face. Her hair was mousy brown and it was pulled back into a high ponytail, which caused her face to be tightened by the strain, making her beady blue eyes become slightly wider. She was wearing a baggy sunshine yellow vest top that slid off her bony shoulders and a pair of short denim shorts that clung to her very wide hips. As she opened the door, she had her mouth open slightly, reading to abuse whoever dared knock on her door. She looked completely shocked, and slightly horrified, to see it was her three sons.

"Holy Mother Mary... What are you three doin' here?" She spat, her voice just as bitter as her face.

Darwin scowled at her and then gave her a sickeningly sweet grin, his yellow teeth bared. "Well hey to you to Ma.." He grunted before pushing past her and walking into the living room.

Lester followed his brother quickly, skirting around his mother, almost bashing into the door frame as he went, to make sure he didn't touch her. Unlike Darwin who seemed to be offended by the sight of his mother, Lester actually looked scared. He had good reason to really, as even him walking by caused her to reach out and swat him around the head.

"Hey ma! Happy to see me?" Asked her last son. She stared up at her giant of a son as he stood with his long arms out to her. She grunted in response, rolling her eyes, disgust on her face.

"Oh shut up, boy.." She muttered before walking away from him. "And shut the door!" She called over her shoulder before returning to her kitchen.

Jeeves lowered his arms and walked over to his brothers, scuffing his feet on the floor. The others had already switched on the television and Darwin had his feet on the coffee table, ignoring the clean table cloth. Lester was sitting cross legged on the sofa, staring around the room - he was clearly uncomfortable being back in his childhood home.

"Whats the matter with you?" Darwin asked, glancing up at his sulking baby brother.

"Nuttin..." Jeeves grumbled.

"Yah gonna sit down or what?" The eldest replied, focused on the episode of Ricky Lake rather than his unhappy siblings.

"Nah... I'ma go explore..." He said, turning on his heels and heading up the almost completely vertical flight of wooden stairs that led up to the second storey of the house.

There were two rooms on this floor, one that had about four locks on it, which he recognised as his mothers because the locks were the results of the boys plaguing her as children.

He was about to go into the next room when he noticed the door leading to the loft was shut tight. Staring at the grubby door he wondered where all the pictures of the pin up girls he and his brothers had put up as kids had gone. The only thing left to suggest they'd even been here was the felt time scribbles of cuss words, funny quotes and abuse for their mother they'd written in felt tip pen. To his delight he saw that they hadn't even faded.

Gripping the door handle, he gave it a shove but he could barely open it because of all the crap that was gathered behind it. He managed to prize it open enough for him to get through and he stepped awkwardly up the obstacle course of a staircase, until he finally reached the loft.

The three brothers had grown up in this loft until they were kicked out as teenagers. The only remains of his childhood were three small single beds that were completely smothered in his mothers junk. Sighing, he went over to his bed. As he was the youngest, Darwin and Lester had assigned him have the worst bed, the one right under the slope of the roof. His brothers would deliberately wake him with a start just to see him sit up in a daze, only quickly to fall back down again when he smacked his head on the slope. It just got funnier and funnier the taller he got.

He rummaged through some of the boxes, trying to find one of his few childhood toys, but all he could find was his mothers old clothes and just general junk she'd collected over the years. Disappointed, he decided to give up and he made his way back down the stairs. Dusting off his hands he looked towards the final bedroom at the end of the little hallway. The door was decorated by a large, sun faded Elvis Presley poster. Below Elvis were six wooden, slightly wonky, brightly coloured letters that spelt out his sisters name.

With a smile, Jeeves pushed the door open and stepped inside the tiny bedroom. He remembered this room being the storeroom when he was a child. That was until Harper was born and it was made into a nursery. It was very small, only about two metres by two metres and half of the space was taken by the slope of the ceiling. The only furniture was a very damaged single bed that was sinking in the middle and a small wooden desk covered with scrapbooks and glue. There were posters and pictures of rock stars all over the walls and there was quite an impressive collection of vinyl records and a battered old record player scattered on the floor.

He slowly crouched down to pick up a very scratched record that he had almost stepped on. As he read the label he noticed something. A soft padding noise was getting louder and louder, faster and faster. The door sprung open and before he could look round, he felt two chubby arms around his neck. Almost loosing his balance from the extra weight he held his arms out to try and keep up right.

"JEEVES!" Shrieked an esctastic voice

With a grin on his face, he reached around, grabbed hold of the chubby little legs that were dangling down his back and pulled her around to his front. Above arms length away was the flushed figure of Harper, the youngest Tremor.

"Jeeves!" She cheered again, her arms outstretched, her round little face flushed bright pink. "You're home!"

"Sure am." He replied.

Suddenly he let go off her. She screamed her high pitched scream as she fell through the air for those split seconds before her brother caught her again, this time by the waist. Leaning down, he turned her the right way round and received a quick punch on the knee. "That ain't funny!" Harper yelled.

"Oh stop yah shriekin Midge," Jeeves smirked, "you really think I'ma drop my baby sister on her head?"

"You'd better not," she said, sorting her vest, "its a long way to fall from up there!" She laughed, her short lived panic quickly disappearing as she peered up at her brother. Jeeves laughed a little and took a seat on her exhausted bed that gave a loud groan of protest from his extra weight. As she stood infront of him Jeeves really looked at her.

She had a chubby little body which always seemed to be flushed pink, espicially her cheeks. She had dirt on her face, arms and legs, as well as plasters, scabs and the occasional fresh graze. She had blonde hair, which was a pretty unusual trait in the Tremor family but she had the usual icy blue eyes. She was wearing a grubby wife beater vest that hung off her shoulders. It looked more like a tent on her and Jeeves guessed it either belonged to himself or his brothers. She wasn't wearing any trousers, only a pair of little pink knickers, which she had tucked the vest into to keep from getting in her way. She wasn't wearing any shoes or socks and her small feet were completely covered in slime.

Jeeves had always found it strange that all four of them had different fathers yet Lester and Harper managed to looked alike. At least, when Lester was younger, he looked a lot like Harper. He was blonde, chubby and short, just like her, and Jeeves often wondered whether they had the same dad. Jeeves had never met Lesters dad, neither had Lester infact, so when the Harpers dad turned up and stayed with the family for the first six months of Harpers life, they had no way of telling if it was the same guy. Whenever Jeeves asked Darwin he said he didn't remember to well, and when he dared to ask his mother, he just received a slap to the back of the head. They had all been told from a very young age that they did not, repeat did not, ask questions about their fathers.

"Midge, where you been to get feet like that?" Jeeves asked, scratching some of the dried mud off her cheek as she sat down next to him.

"Fishin'..." She said absent-mindedly. She turned to look at him and he stopped cleaning her up. Before he could ask what she was staring at, she had arms around his waist and was hugging him tight. He held hugged her back, resting his chin on top of her head. As she squeezed him he realised how much he had missed her.

"When did you shave yah hair off?" She asked suddenly, still in mid hug.

"Uh.. I dunno, a while ago.." He replied as she broke the hug and felt the stubble on the side of his head. "I woke up one mornin' and it was like this.. I think Lester did it."

"Its weird lookin'.." She smirked, poking the side of his head softly.

Jeeves smirk at her and shrugged. "At least I got trousers."

He laughed as she shoved his arm and cried, "I got trousers!" She ran to a pile of clothes on the floor and waved a pair of pink shorts triumphantly.

"They're shorts, not trousers." He teased - he'd forgotten how easy it was to wind her up.

"Who cares what they are! Who needs bottoms for paddling anyhow?" She argued, her chubby fists balled up tight.

"Only trolls don't wear no bottoms, Midge." Jeeves sneered, waiting for her to blow.

"I ain't no troll!" She cried, charging at her brother, half play and half serious, going for a rugby tackle.

Before she could attempt to wrestle with him, a voice spoke up.

"Lester and me are goin' out. You comin'?"

Harper turned to look at her eldest brother who stood leaning against her door frame, his tattooed arms folded across his chest. Harper couldn't help feel pang of fear she always felt around Darwin and she instinctively moved closer to Jeeves. Darwin noticed as he always did and gave her a smirk.

"Hey there little sister."


	3. Chapter 3

Notes & Disclaimer: No notes today :)

I don't own the Tremor Brothers, but I do own Harper Tremor & Mama Tremor.

---

Jeeves didn't notice his baby sister shuffle closer but he'd never been has observant as Darwin, who was always watching and taking in every little detail. Another reason he was in charge, Jeeves guessed.

After a few seconds of silence Jeeves pushed Harper forwards a little. "Ain't you gonna say hey?"

Harper stared with wide eyes up at her dim brother but nodded slowly, "hey, Darwin."

Darwin grinned at her for a split second before looking at Jeeves again, quickly loosing interest in the child. "So, are you comin' or what?"

"Where we goin'?" Jeeves asked as he stood up, walking to his brother before he received a response.

"Just goin' to Jules' for a drink..." Darwin replied, turning on his heel and walking back down the hallway with Jeeves following behind.

Harper stared at her brothers, clearly offended having been completely dismissed by them both.

"Can I come?"

Both the men turned to stare at their baby sister, slightly bewildered, although Jeeves looked happier than Darwin who clearly disapproved of the idea.

"I promise I'll just sit there, bein' quiet. Won't hear a peep from me." She continued, trying to win over Jeeves with a smile. She knew Darwin wouldn't be easily swayed with her toothy grin but he knew better than to disagree with Jeeves when he had his heart set on something. Jeeves glanced at Darwin, knowing it was his call. Barely hiding his annoyance with the whole thing, Darwin just shrugged.

"Get dressed, and hurry up."

And with that they were both down the stairs, leaving Harper to move faster than she'd ever moved before. She knew that Darwin meant it when she was to hurry up. If she was taking to long, she would be left behind. And she also knew that, although he hadn't said anything, this would probably be the last she'd see of them as Darwin would insist that they get moving after their drinks. Thats what had happened last time and Harper was determined not to let them leave without a goodbye again.

Pulling on her pink shorts she darted downstairs, almost falling down the last four or so steps as she tried to reach her shoes before they drove off. Regaining her balance and reaching for her jelly sandals she saw that she wasn't alone in the hallway. Lester was by the door, holding it open, ready to exit. He turned to look at her and they both exchanged silent looks. Neither of them smiled, but neither of them glared. Harper wasn't scared of Lester - she didn't get that feeling of panic like she did with Darwin, and the two seemed to have a mutual respect, not overly positive or overly negative, for one another.

The stares were broken when Lester pulled the door open wider and nodded for her to walk through. She did as she was told and said a quiet, "thanks" as they both walked outside and across to the car where the other two were waiting. Without saying a word, as she'd promised, Harper climbed into the backseat of the car with Lester as Darwin took the front seat and Jeeves was once again driving.

The silence in the car was very uncomfortable and Harper knew it was only there because she was. She guessed they would normally be discussing whatever job they had, she'd never been told, and new plans but for whatever reason Darwin wasn't comfortable talking about them infront of her. Probably because he didn't want any of it getting back to their mother. Harper had always found it strange that they all thought her time with her mother was just peachy - just because she was a girl didn't mean her mother was kind to her and there was no way she'd be receiting her day with her brothers to her.

The ride to the main drag wasn't far and the Harper was grateful for that. She didn't like silence, espicially not ones like that. Jeeves pulled up outside the bar and they all climbed out, Darwin and Lester leading way ahead. Harper wasn't the fastest girl around and had a hard time keeping up with the strides of her siblings, or anybody for that matter.

"Come on, Midge." Jeeves called from the door of the bar and she darted over to him, knowing she didn't want to walk into Jules' on her own.

The room was very warm, but not as hot as outside due to the air conditioning that was being pumped at full blast. There were lots of people inside, either lounging in the booths drinking and eating bar snacks, or chatting by the bar itself. Jeeves and Harper walked over to one of the booths and Harper seemed to the only one to notice the stares they were receiving.

"Uh, Jeeves..?" She asked, not wanting to to loud incase Darwin was around and was expecting her to the literal about her statement from earlier.

"What?" He replied as he gestured for the people in the booths to leave. They moved fast, very fast, and Harper stared after them. Apparently her brothers had quite a reputation.

"Why are people star-" She was cut off when Lester came over with drinks, falling heavily into the opposite seat. Jeeves reached out and grabbed his, some sort of foul smelling alcoholic drink and Lester did the same with a similiar drink. Harper stared at the two drinks left - one was more booze and one was what seemed to a small plastic cup of milk next to a bag of peanuts.

"They's for you, Harper." Jeeves said, reaching for them and placing them infront of her. She looked into the cup and saw that to her chagrin that yes, it was milk. Warm milk. She looked at Lester, trying to hide her disappointment at his choice.

"Dats what kids drink right? I mean, you're like, five right, you must drink milk?" Lester said as he saw her expression, a smirk on his face. Jeeves laughed along with him and Harper felt herself cringing, having forgotten what it was like to the teased as the youngest child.

"I'm ten.. and I'm allergic to peanuts." She replied quietly, clearly unimpressed by their knowledge of their own sister. Lester just laughed and had some more of his drink whilst Jeeves tore into the packet of snacks she had turned down. Fighting to repress a sigh, she stared out of the window to distract herself from her brothers who were clearly here to get drunk. She suddenly had a thought.

"Jeeves.." He felt a tug on his sleeve and peered down at his sister who had a look he'd come to recognise as her mature look plastered on her face. It was a face he'd learnt to avoid because it usually meant she was going to ask him a question he couldn't answer.

"Hmm?" He replied, turning to look forward, hoping that some how not making eye contact with help.

"How come you's both drinkin'? Y'all underage, right?"

Fortunately for Jeeves, another voice answered her question.

"We been drinkin' here since we was fifteen, little sister." Darwin responded as he took the seat next to Lester, lighting up a cigarette. "'Sides, that don't sound like quiet to me."

Harper tried to stare out her brother but he just gave her the typical smile and raised his eyebrows slightly. She lowered her head and looked at her lap, clearly uncomfortable.

The next hour or so passed painfully slowly for Harper as she watched her three brothers get wasted, even though it hadn't even 4 o'clock yet. All this time Harper sat quietly, listening to the drunken slurs about failed jobs, guns and girls. Their conversation continued to get louder and louder, Jeeves laugh becoming paticuarly defeaning. She found herself becoming frustrated - she had so many questions for them that she wouldn't have the opportunity to ask.

What did they do for a living? Where did they live now? How long where they staying? Why did they have iron cross tattoos? Didn't they know Hitler was the bad guy?

Even if they were completely sober Harper knew she wouldn't get a straight answer, not with Darwin around. Besides, as bad as she felt thinking this, she knew that she wouldn't ever get a good, meaningful conversation out of any of them. They all knew that despite her being ten years old, she was pretty much the brains of the family. Not that Darwin, or their mother for that matter, would admit it.

"'Scuse me, Jeeves.." She mumbled as he lolled over the table, laughing his head off. He didn't hear her. She asked again, and was about to one more time when Lester pratically dived across the table and shoved his brother out of his seat and onto the floor.

"Harper needs a piss!!" Lester bellowed as Jeeves landed with a loud "omph!" which caused Darwin and Lester to roar with laughter. Harper felt herself burning red as she stared at Lester in horror. Thankfully most people had tried hard to tune out the ruckus they were causing so they probably wouldn't care about Lesters little outburst, but she was still mortified. Feeling those annoying little prickly tears gather in her eyes she knew she had to get out of there before they noticed so she jumped off the seat, hopped over the now laughing Jeeves and ran towards the ladies toilet.

---

She locked herself in a cubicle, pulled her legs close to her and let herself cry. She wanted to tell herself that it was just the embarassment but she knew that it was something else. It hurt her so much that she knew their visit here meant nothing to them. Sure Jeeves had been happy to see her at the beginning, he'd wanted to come home but within hours of being back here, the novelty had worn off. This always happened - whenever Jeeves begged to come home, she'd barely had a chance to see them before they'd driven off again without a goodbye. Today was going to be one of those days, she could tell.

Wiping her eyes on her dirty vest, she sniffed loudly and ran her fingers through her limp blonde hair, trying to smarten herself up. She had a quick look in the mirror by the sinks, making sure her eyes weren't puffy and her cheeks weren't redder than usual. She tried to ignore the part of her telling her that she could go back with glittery pink antlers and they wouldn't notice something was different - part of her hoped that they would be coherent enough to notice that she had been upset.

Taking a deep breath and straightening her clothes one last time, she left the ladies toilet and headed back to the table. She'd barely taken five steps before someone had grabbed hold of her and spun her around. She stared up at the person holding her shoulders as they crouched down to be eye level.

"Well, well, if it ain't little Harper Tremor..."

Harper stared at the man, barely recognising him. He looked vageuyl like an older version of one of her classmate, Felix White, but she couldn't be certain. He grinned at her obvious confusion, a cigarette sticking out between his teeth.

"A little girl like you can't be here on your own, surely?" She found herself shaking her head slowly. He grinned even more. "That must mean your brothers are here. Right?"

And with that, she knew she'd made a big mistake.


End file.
